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Since education is a critical component of successful voluntary programs, this resource provides an increasing compilation of proprietary and non-proprietary articles. Home / Articles / Employee Benefit News Articles / Workplace stress research promotes benefits Font Size: Workplace stress research promotes benefits by Editorial Staff February 17, 2009 Two University of Michigan business law professors who examined Fortune magazine’s annual list of the nation’s “best companies to work for” conclude that generous “complementary alternative benefits” can help alleviate workplace stress and violence. But it appears the key for maximizing value from voluntary benefits might be to not let employees labor too long over their choices.   “It seems that forcing benefit allocation and payment decisions down to employees would be more stressful for them and even serve as a distraction from their work,” warns Norman D. Bishara of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, also noting the potential detriment to community building and camaraderie.    Stress can lead to tangible economic losses, such as increased turnover, absenteeism and sick time, according to Bishara, noting that workplace stress is estimated to cost U.S. businesses about $300 billion a year. “In that sense,” he says, “if workers have increased stress tied to the effects of the economic downturn and the impact on their core employment benefits, then the prospect of having a peaceable workplace may decline and, over the long term, a company’s bottom line can suffer.”   Bishara and his colleague, Cindy Sch Any use of this information without written permission from Employee Benefit News and Voluntary.com, LLC is prohibited. Go to Employee Benefit News Print this article      Email this article • Return to Employee Benefit News Articles • See Employee Benefit Adviser Articles